Protests erupted in Southport, a town north of Liverpool, following the deaths of three young girls in a stabbing incident allegedly carried out by a 17-year-old male. The violence led to the burning of at least one police van. While the identity of the attacker and his family have been the subject of much online speculation, both the Associated Press and The Sun report that the suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales.

Merseyside Police are leading the investigation into the deaths of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6. Ten more victims remain hospitalized.

“There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss with the Merseyside Police told the Associated Press. 

“We have already said that the person arrested was born in the U.K. and speculation helps nobody at this time.”

According to The Sun, the parents of the suspected attacker, born in 2006, moved to the United Kingdom from Rwanda.

A neighbor of the family described them to The Sun as “very normal,” with a “hard-working father and stay-at-home mother.”

Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage posted a video statement on social media, saying, “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us. I don’t know the answer to that, but I think it is a fair and legitimate question.”

“What I do know is something is going horribly wrong in our once beautiful country.”

It remains unclear what punishments protesters may face. Police vans and garbage bins have been set ablaze during the unrest.

The mass stabbing and the potential suspect are the subjects of an ongoing investigation.

‘ Ian Leonard contributed to this article.